Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 340: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-32)
After reading the question on the scroll, Gerrad’s gaze involuntarily shifted toward Cindral and Malrick.
The meaning was obvious. These two had clearly discussed things in advance. That was why they had suddenly sent out two Alchemists today, trying to gain an advantage over the academy.
Unfortunately for them, they had not anticipated the variable called Zora.
At this moment, Gerrad felt more strongly than ever that recruiting Zora had been an immense stroke of luck for the academy.
Below the platform, Reesa and the others finally let out a breath they hadn’t realized they were holding.
"Fortunately, Zora went up," Reesa muttered. "Otherwise, we really would’ve been at a disadvantage."
"Thunderclap Academy is truly shameless," Baldwin said with a helpless shake of his head. "To even think of using tactics like this... I suppose it takes a certain kind of mind to become headmaster."
Tiffany and the others sighed in agreement, though they still had absolute confidence in Sylvandria’s alchemy skills.
After all, Sylvandria was a rare alchemy genius.
Very soon, dozens of medicinal herbs were placed on the table in front of Zora and Sylvandria. Some of them were clearly unnecessary and meant to confuse them.
These herbs had not been prepared by Thunderclap Academy, but by the three Alchemists themselves.
As veteran alchemists, they knew exactly what kind of mistakes Alchemists were most prone to making. Naturally, the setup contained more than a few hidden traps.
Zora and Sylvandria exchanged a glance, their eyes settling on the chaotic pile of herbs.
"They didn’t specify which two potion formulas these belong to," Sylvandria said calmly. "Looks like we’ll have to judge for ourselves."
Zora nodded lightly. Her delicate, flawless face showed no trace of difficulty or anxiety.
"Since they didn’t specify, then it must be common potion formulas," she replied evenly. "As long as we observe carefully, we should be able to distinguish them."
Her tone was steady and composed. Although the assortment of herbs looked dazzling at first glance, the difficulty was the same for everyone.
As long as the formulas were familiar, classifying them quickly would not be a problem, especially with Sylvandria’s deep understanding of medicinal properties.
Hearing this, Sylvandria steadied her breathing and began to analyze the herbs carefully.
Below the platform, some onlookers who hadn’t fully grasped the situation widened their eyes when they saw Zora genuinely participating in the selection alongside Sylvandria.
They exchanged looks of disbelief.
"Is Zora really an Alchemist? That’s unbelievable..."
At this moment, Zora was using her actions to prove her identity.
If she weren’t an Alchemist, she would never have stood calmly on the platform and taken part in the assessment.
"This Zora is truly the most astonishing woman I’ve ever seen," someone murmured. "But even if she’s an Alchemist, her alchemy skills probably can’t be that strong."
"That’s already amazing enough," another replied. "Becoming an Alchemist at her age is something most people can’t even dream of."
All around, quiet sighs of amazement and envy spread.
For Zora, many felt nothing but admiration. If it were them in her place, they knew they wouldn’t possess even a fraction of such talent.
Meanwhile, Zora swept her gaze across the pile of medicinal herbs before her, her mind rapidly matching names to formulas.
"Golden Spirit Grass, Unparalleled Wood, Black Vine Branches..."
As she sorted through several stalks, clarity sparked in her eyes. A familiar formula took shape almost instantly.
"Recovery Potion."
Her dark eyes lifted slightly as her gaze shifted to Sylvandria. If her judgment was correct, these herbs could indeed be assembled into the ingredients required to refine a Recovery Potion.
Sylvandria followed her line of thought, carefully reexamining the herbs. A look of delight spread across her face.
"Zora, you’re right. It’s the Recovery Potion."
A faint smile curved Zora’s lips. Without hesitation, she began selecting the necessary ingredients for the Recovery Potion from the chaotic assortment.
While Zora worked on one set, Sylvandria turned her attention to the remaining herbs, searching for the second Potion formula.
As Sylvandria pondered, Zora paused, her eyes settling on the Golden Spirit Grass in her hand. Its weight felt slightly heavier than the others.
Sylvandria, meanwhile, frowned as she examined the rest of the herbs, concern flickering across her refined features.
"How could this be...?"
Seeing that Sylvandria had not spoken for some time, Zora asked calmly, "Sylvandria, haven’t you figured it out yet?"
Sylvandria shook her head, anxiety creeping into her expression. This assessment was not meant to be overly difficult, which made speed crucial.
From the corner of her eye, she could see that the Alchemists from Thunderclap Academy and Lunar Academy were moving quickly. At this point, it was a race against time.
Compared to Sylvandria’s tension, Zora remained composed and unhurried. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
She understood clearly that anxiety would only slow them down. Moreover, this was merely the first of three assessments. One round alone would not determine the final outcome.
"No," Sylvandria said, her brows knitting together. "This is strange. Something doesn’t add up."
She gestured toward the remaining herbs. "These look very similar to the ingredients for a Heavenly Origin Potion. But Golden Spirit Grass has already been used for the Recovery Potion, and the Heavenly Origin Potion seems to be missing one ingredient."
According to the rules, there should have been enough materials to form two complete potion formulas.
Hearing this, Zora’s eyes brightened. A knowing smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"That’s right. It is the Heavenly Origin Potion," she said lightly. "Go ahead and take out the ingredients for it first."
Sylvandria looked at her in surprise. Seeing Zora’s certainty, she did not hesitate and immediately selected the herbs she believed belonged to the Heavenly Origin Potion.
"But Zora," Sylvandria said hesitantly, "this Golden Spirit Grass—"
Before she could finish, Zora gently snapped the Golden Spirit Grass in her hand into two equal pieces. She lifted them with a smile and showed them to Sylvandria.
Sylvandria froze for a heartbeat, then her eyes lit up. A bright smile bloomed across her face.
So that was it.
This round wasn’t just testing their ability to recognize potion formulas. It was also testing their understanding of medicinal materials themselves.
With mutual understanding, Zora and Sylvandria raised their hands together, signaling that they had completed the first round of the assessment.
Seeing this, the three Alchemists rose from their seats and slowly walked toward the two of them, eyes filled with interest and appraisal.
Below the high platform, curiosity rippled through the crowd. From start to finish, they had only seen the three teams bustling about, hands constantly moving, but few truly understood what was happening on the tables.
Now, when Zora and Sylvandria were the first to raise their hands, expressions immediately shifted.
No one had expected the academy’s Alchemists to be this formidable.
"I knew it! Zora would be the fastest!"
Reesa laughed brightly, her eyes shining with confidence. In her heart, Zora was already the most outstanding Alchemist present.
Whether Thunderclap Academy or Lunar Academy had strong alchemists no longer mattered. Reesa’s faith in Zora was absolute.
Alaric Von Seraph and the others also relaxed visibly, faint smiles appearing on their faces. Compared to the tension of the combat trials, the alchemy assessment felt far less suffocating.
After all, Sylvandria was Gerrad’s prized disciple. Her abilities were built on solid foundations, not an empty reputation.
Zora glanced toward the other two teams. Their movements were swift, yet they were clearly stalled at the same dilemma Sylvandria had faced earlier.
If there had truly been two complete stalks of Golden Spirit Grass, the outcome of this first round might have been unpredictable.
The three adjudicating Alchemists soon approached Zora and Sylvandria. Upon seeing Sylvandria, warm smiles surfaced on their faces.
They knew her well. As Gerrad’s proud disciple, Sylvandria was practically family in their eyes.
Their gazes swept over the herbs arranged neatly on the table, and all three nodded in approval. The classifications were precise, without error.
On the paper beside the herbs, Zora and Sylvandria had clearly labeled which Potion formula each group belonged to. When Mariette noticed the Golden Spirit Grass split cleanly into two, she gave a soft nod, her smile deepening.
"Very good," she said with genuine praise.
Her eyes lingered briefly on Zora. The earlier moment had not escaped her notice. It was Zora who had first seen through the trap hidden within that single stalk of Golden Spirit Grass.
To think that someone so young, and known primarily as a Spirit Warrior, could possess such sharp insight into alchemy was truly surprising.
Hearing Mariette’s affirmation, Zora and Sylvandria exchanged glances, matching smiles quietly blooming.
Meanwhile, the Alchemists from Thunderclap Academy and Lunar Academy grew visibly restless when they realized they were falling behind. Anxiety crept into their movements, and with it came hesitation.
And hesitation, in an assessment like this, was fatal.
